Anodes and methods of making and using thereof

Abstract

Disclosed are amorphous glasses, anodes comprising particles formed from these amorphous glasses, and electrochemical cells (e.g., batteries) comprising these anodes. The amorphous glass can be formed from a mixture comprising two or more active components and two or more amorphous forming components.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An anode comprising particles formed from an amorphous glass formed from a mixture comprising two or more active components and two or more amorphous forming components. 
     
     
         2 . The anode of  claim 1 , wherein the particles comprise a population of microparticles. 
     
     
         3 . The anode of  claim 2 , wherein the population of microparticles has an average particle size of from 1 micron to 15 microns, such as from 1 micron to 5 microns, as determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). 
     
     
         4 . The anode of  claim 1 , wherein the particles comprise a population of nanoparticles. 
     
     
         5 . The anode of  claim 4 , wherein the population of nanoparticles has an average particle size of from 25 nm to less than 1 micron, such as from 100 nm to 750 nm, as determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). 
     
     
         6 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 5 , wherein the particles comprise a monodisperse population of particles. 
     
     
         7 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 6 , wherein the two or more active components comprise from 51 mol % to 99 mol % of the amorphous glass, such as from 80 mol % to 95 mol % of the amorphous glass. 
     
     
         8 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 7 , wherein the two or more amorphous forming components comprise from 1 mol % to 49 mol % of the amorphous glass, such as from 5 mol % to 25 mol % of the amorphous glass or from 5 mol % to 20 mol % of the amorphous glass. 
     
     
         9 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 8 , wherein the two or more active components and two or more amorphous forming components are present in the amorphous glass at a molar ratio of from 1.1:1 to 50:1, such as from 1.1:1 to 25:1, from 2:1 to 25:1, from 2:1 to 20:1, from 4:1 to 20:1, from 5:1 to 15:1, or from 5:1 to 10:1. 
     
     
         10 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 9 , wherein the two or more active components comprise silicon, tin, lead, antimony, germanium, gallium, indium, bismuth, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 10 , wherein the two or more active components can comprise silicon. 
     
     
         12 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 11 , wherein the two or more active components can comprise tin. 
     
     
         13 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 12 , wherein the amorphous glass comprises a SiSn-based glass. 
     
     
         14 . The anode of  claim 13 , wherein the two or more active components comprise silicon and tin, and wherein the silicon and the tin are present a molar ratio of from 1.1:1 to 20:1, such as from 2:1 to 15:1 or from 3:1 to 12:1. 
     
     
         15 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 14 , wherein the two or more amorphous forming components comprise iron, aluminum, titanium, copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, zirconium, yttrium, boron, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 15 , wherein the two or more amorphous forming components comprise one or more lanthanides. 
     
     
         17 . The anode of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more lanthanides comprise from 1 mol % to 25 mol % of the amorphous glass, such as from 5 mol % to 20 mol % of the amorphous glass or from 10 mol % to 20 mol % of the amorphous glass. 
     
     
         18 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 17 , wherein the two or more amorphous forming components comprise one or more Group 4 elements. 
     
     
         19 . The anode of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more Group 4 elements comprise from 1 mol % to 15 mol % of the amorphous glass, such as from 1 mol % to 10 mol % of the amorphous glass or from 2 mol % to 8 mol % of the amorphous glass. 
     
     
         20 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 19 , wherein the two or more amorphous forming components comprise one or more Group 13 elements. 
     
     
         21 . The anode of  claim 20 , wherein the one or more Group 13 elements comprise from 1 mol % to 8 mol % of the amorphous glass, such as from 2 mol % to 6 mol % of the amorphous glass or from 3 mol % to 4 mol % of the amorphous glass. 
     
     
         22 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 21 , wherein the amorphous glass comprises a glass defined by the formula below
   Si x Sn y   1 AFM a   2 AFM b   3 AFM c   4 AFM d      
       wherein
   1 AFM,  2 AFM,  3 AFM, and  4 AFM represent different elements, each chosen from iron, aluminum, titanium, copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, gallium, indium, zirconium, and yttrium; 
 x is from 50 to 90; 
 y is from 1 to 40; 
 a is from 0.5 to 20; 
 b is from 0.5 to 15; 
 c is from 0 to 10; and 
 d is from 0 to 10. 
 
     
     
         23 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 22 , wherein the amorphous glass comprises a SiSnCeFeAlTi glass, such as Si 60 Sn 12 Ce 18 Fe 5 Al 3 Ti 2 . 
     
     
         24 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 22 , wherein the amorphous glass comprises a SiSnFeAlTi glass, such as Si 73 Sn 15 Fe 6 Al 4 Ti 2 . 
     
     
         25 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 22 , wherein the amorphous glass comprises a SiSnAlTi glass, such as Si 78 Sn 16 Al 4 Ti 2 . 
     
     
         26 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 25 , wherein the particles are formed by ball milling. 
     
     
         27 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 25 , wherein the particles are formed by a templating process. 
     
     
         28 . The anode of  claim 27 , wherein the templating process employs a porous membrane as a template to control particle size. 
     
     
         29 . The anode of any of  claims 27 - 28 , wherein templating process comprises:
 imbibing a precursor solution comprising a metal precursor into a template; and   calcining the template.   
     
     
         30 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 29 , wherein the particles have an aspect ratio of 10 or less, such as an aspect ratio of 5 or less or an aspect ratio of 2 or less. 
     
     
         31 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 30 , wherein the two or more amorphous forming components comprise inactive components. 
     
     
         32 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 31 , wherein the particles further comprise a carbonaceous material disposed on a surface of the particles. 
     
     
         33 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 32 , wherein the particles are dispersed in a binder. 
     
     
         34 . The anode of  claim 33 , wherein the binder comprises a polymeric binder such as vinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyaniline, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         35 . The anode of any of  claims 33 - 34 , wherein the binder comprises a conductive polymer. 
     
     
         36 . The anode of any of  claims 33 - 35 , wherein the binder comprises a carbonaceous material such as carbon black. 
     
     
         37 . The anode of any of  claims 1 - 36 , wherein the particles can react with and store working ions selected from the group consisting of lithium ions, sodium ions, potassium ions, or a combination thereof under conditions typically encountered during charging and discharging of a battery comprising the working ions. 
     
     
         38 . An electrochemical cell comprising the anode of any of  claims 1 - 37 , a cathode, and an electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode. 
     
     
         39 . The electrochemical cell of  claim 38 , wherein the electrochemical cell comprises a lithium ion battery, and wherein the cathode comprises a lithium-based cathode. 
     
     
         40 . The electrochemical cell of  claim 39 , wherein the cathode comprises lithium iron phosphate, LiNi 1-x Mn x/2 Co x /2O 2 , wherein x=0.4 or 0.2, or LiNi 0.8 Co 1.15 Al 0.05 O 2 . 
     
     
         41 . The electrochemical cell of any of  claims 39 - 40 , wherein the electrochemical cell exhibits an energy density of at least 180 Wh/kg at room temperature, such as an energy density of from 180 Wh/kg to 3,500 Wh/kg at room temperature. 
     
     
         42 . The electrochemical cell of any of  claims 38 - 41 , wherein the electrochemical cell exhibits a charge rate of from 1 minute to 10 minutes to 30% of a state of charge (SOC), a charge rate of from 1 minute to 10 minutes to 50% of a state of charge (SOC), a charge rate of from 1 minute to 10 minutes to 70% of a state of charge (SOC), and/or a charge rate of from 1 minute to 10 minutes to 90% of a state of charge (SOC). 
     
     
         43 . A population of particles formed from an amorphous glass, the amorphous glass comprising a glass defined by the formula below
   Si x Sn y   1 AFM a   2 AFM b   3 AFM c   4 AFM d      
       wherein
   1 AFM,  2 AFM,  3 AFM, and  4 AFM represent different elements, each chosen from iron, aluminum, titanium, copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, gallium, indium, zirconium, and yttrium; 
 x is from 50 to 90; 
 y is from 1 to 40; 
 a is from 0.5 to 20; 
 b is from 0.5 to 15; 
 c is from 0 to 10; and 
 d is from 0 to 10. 
 
     
     
         44 . The population of  claim 43 , wherein the population of particles comprises a population of microparticles. 
     
     
         45 . The population of  claim 44 , wherein the population of microparticles has an average particle size of from 1 micron to 15 microns, such as from 1 micron to 5 microns, as determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). 
     
     
         46 . The population of  claim 43 , wherein the population of particles comprises a population of nanoparticles. 
     
     
         47 . The population of  claim 46 , wherein the population of nanoparticles has an average particle size of from 25 nm to less than 1 micron, such as from 100 nm to 750 nm, as determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). 
     
     
         48 . The population of any of  claims 43 - 47 , wherein the population of particles is monodisperse in size. 
     
     
         49 . The population of any of  claims 43 - 48 , wherein the particles have an aspect ratio of 10 or less, such as an aspect ratio of 5 or less or an aspect ratio of 2 or less.